Removal of ceftriaxone using modified layered double hydroxide MgAl-LDH with <i>Hylocereus costaricensis</i> extract

The use of pharmaceutical products, especially the antibiotic ceftriaxone (CTX), is increasingly widespread and raises serious concerns due to its waste residues that pollute the environment. In this study, a layered double hydroxide (MgAl-LDH) material was modified using dragon fruit peel extract (Hylocereus costaricensis) to develop an adsorbent (MgAl-HC) for removing CTX antibiotic effluent from the aquatic environment. LDH was synthesized using the co-precipitation methodб and dragon fruit extract was obtained through maceration. Material characterization was performed using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and showed that modification with dragon fruit peel extract increased the specific surface area from 18.471 m²/g to 28.035 m²/g. The adsorption kinetics study revealed that the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order model and the isotherm analysis followed the Freundlich isotherm model with the maximum adsorption capacity (Qmax) reaching 322.580 mg/g. Regeneration tests showed that the MgAl-HC composite material could be reused for up to three cycles without any significant decrease in its adsorption capacity. These findings suggest that MgAl-HC composites have great potential as effective adsorbents for removing antibiotic effluents from aquatic environments.